To the Editor:On Saturday, Nov. 17, the American Legion Bayonne Post No. 19 held the first of what we hope will be an annual coat drive for our homeless veterans. New Jersey has among its homeless population an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 veterans of the United States armed forces.

The military teaches us to retrieve our wounded and bring them home. The Veterans Transitional Housing Program, Veterans Haven, aims to meet this challenge on the streets, in the shelters, and at the front lines of human existence where our brothers and sisters find themselves in their time of greatest need.

This American Legion Bayonne Post No. 19 would like to thank the citizens of Bayonne for making this year’s coat drive a success. During the drive you, the people of Bayonne, donated over 50 coats for our men and women veterans. It is a great feeling to know that even during the worst disaster in our state’s history, the great citizens of Bayonne still remembered our veterans. We would also like to thank the management team and employees of Massimo Zanetti Beverage, located in Moonachie, for also remembering our veterans. The employees donated coats to our drive totaling another 20 coats.